Transparent Christina

• This Week in Education: John Thompson post.

  A must read…. November 20, 2009 | Posted At: 10:34 AM | Author: john thompson | Category: by John Thompson Thompson: Gerald Bracey’s Concluding Remarks The last Bracey Report should be read and reread in its balanced, jewel-like entirety.  Federal accountability schemes, despite their avowed purpose of helping the poor, make no sense unless you also believe that American education [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 12:13am EST
  by John Young

• United States Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Requesters: Education

  November 19, 2009The Honorable John P. KlineRanking MemberCommittee on Education and LaborHouse of RepresentativesThe Honorable Michael CastleRanking MemberSubcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementaryand Secondary EducationCommittee on Education and LaborHouse of RepresentativesThe Honorable Howard P. “Buck” McKeonHouse of RepresentativesThe Department of Education (Education) administers about 200 programs that award grants totaling about [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 11:57pm EST
  by John Young

• Alternative test may inflate score gains

  Virginia’s move to expand its use of portfolios to include students who are learning grade-level skills is unusual. It’s costly. Fairfax spent more than $500,000 to train teachers and score portfolios last year, not to mention thousands of hours of teacher time compiling them. It’s also risky. Experts say blending the results of different [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 11:18pm EST
  by John Young

• What Made Michelle Obama Anxious and Nervous

  Number of comments: 1
  First Lady Michelle Obama revisited a stressful period of her youth on Monday, opening up to teen girls at a Denver mentoring event when asked about her views of standardized testing. Mrs. Obama used the question to talk about her own insecurities and anxieties about taking tests, focusing on her time as a high school [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 10:11pm EST
  by John Young

• Race to the Top: Rural America edition.

  Education Secretary Arne Duncan, whose education experience is firmly planted in urban ground, is continuing to reach out to rural folks to figure out how the reforms he’s pushing will play out in the farther reaches of the country. Nine rural superintendents, from Michigan, Texas, West Virginia, California, Mississippi, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Arizona, gave [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 9:57pm EST
  by John Young

• VItamin D deficiency is a serious emerging minority health issue…..

  Many teens, especially black teens, aren’t getting enough vitamin D, say researchers, a deficiency that could lead to rickets (a bone-softening disease that causes severe bowing of the legs in growing children), and increase the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, immune system problems, and inflammatory diseases. Rest of Article: HERE. Powered by [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 9:28pm EST
  by John Young

• Delaware and Response to Intervention (RtI)

  This document is offered by the Delaware Department of Education asguidance in implementing Department of Education regulations specificto the Response to Intervention Standards and Procedures found at 14 DEAdmin Code §§ 925.6.11 and 7.0 through 12.0. What Is Response To Intervention (“RTI”)? Is RTI Provided To All Students? What Are The Benefits [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 7:01pm EST
  by John Young

• Do Special Education students get accomodations on standardized tests?

  The rules seem clear: Permitted NAEP Accommodations Tables Accommodations in the testing environment or administration procedures are provided for SD and ELL students. Examples of accommodations permitted by NAEP are extra time, testing in small-group or one-on-one sessions, reading aloud to a student, and scribing a student’s responses. The tables below show the accommodations used for the most [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 6:50pm EST
  by John Young

• Superintendent’s First 100 Days Listen, Learn, Lead

  A web update from our Superintendent, Dr. Marcia Lyles. As I embarked upon my Christina journey I pledged to listenattentively, learn quickly and lead boldly. It has been afascinating, illuminating, challenging and rewarding 100 daysand I thank every member of the Christina community for beinggracious, welcoming and informative guides. I’ve spoken [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 5:09pm EST
  by John Young

• RE: The World has become A Lot More Interesting

  Today’s post of the day. A link to a workgroup proposing the future of our schools in a global society and a robust discussion of racing to the top and the efficacy/accuracy of testing. Wasn’t Bill Gates a dropout?…… “Their work is flowing through a document developed by a members committee, Suspending [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 7:48am EST
  by John Young

• Suspending Disbelief: World Class Public Schools for All (Wake Education Partnership)

  It was early in 2008 when Wake Education Partnership gathered 150 business leaders,educators and elected officials to discuss what it would take to build a world-class schooldistrict in Wake County. The keynote address was titled “Think Globally, Learn Locally.”The world was in a different place at that moment. People were [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 7:44am EST
  by John Young

• Obama and Duncan Are Wrong About Charters

  The legislators who passed the Elementary and Secondary Act in 1965 repeatedly assured their colleagues and the American public that the federal government would never interfere with state and local control of schools. The purpose of the law was clear: To provide additional funding to the nation’s neediest students. Of course, that vow did [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2009, 9:40pm EST
  by John Young

• CPS president death investigation – wgntv.com

  the latest more about "CPS president death investigation – w…", posted with vodpod Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 10:19pm EST
  by John Young

• Good news for families raising children with autism

  On Friday, November 13, 2009 over 50 participants (including me) gathered at the MIND Institute at UC Davis and took part in a National Town Meeting organized by Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism, a national consortium* seeking to create meaningful futures for adults with autism. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/lshumaker/detail?entry_id=51684#ixzz0X4NpqpFx Powered by ScribeFire. Posted [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 6:53pm EST
  by John Young

• Chicago School Board President’s Death Ruled A Suicide

  Michael Scott Was Found On River Bank With Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound To The Head CHICAGO (CBS) ― [...] [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2009, 2:47pm EST
  by John Young

• Fall in Philadelphia……

  Lovely indeed….. Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 9:29pm EST
  by John Young

• Live From Daryl’s House with Daryl Hall :: Episode 25

  Live From Daryl’s House with Daryl Hall :: Episode 25 Posted using ShareThis Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 9:26pm EST
  by John Young

• Delaware ARRA interim report from Lt. Gov. Denn

  We will continue to vigorously review purchase orders relating to the use of stimulus funds. The pre-screening system we have set up is an extremely strict one—many other states appear to be relying more heavily on after-the-fact audits to detect improper spending. But this process by its nature is also [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 10:13am EST
  by John Young

• Delaware Guidance on ARRA Funds.

  Dear Superintendent:Last week, United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the availability of new funds for Delaware for education of the disadvantaged (Title 1, Part A funds) and education of persons between age 3 and age 21 with disabilities (IDEA Part B). These funds, provided as part of the [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 9:55am EST
  by John Young

• Tips on How to Observe a Reading Classroom

  Principals greatly benefit as reading leaders when they understand research-based teaching strategies, recognize strengths in their teachers’ practice, and note areas that need improvement. Observation and conferencing are primary responsibilities of instructional leaders (Glickman,1985; Pajak,1989). Rest of article: HERE. Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 10:45pm EST
  by John Young

• Bracey’s last report–trashing our educational assumptions

  I got to the last page of the last icon-shattering piece Gerald W. Bracey will ever write, and felt sad and empty. As usual, he had skewered–with great erudition and insight–some of my fondest beliefs about how to improve schools. As a consequence, my thinking and writing about these issues [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 9:57pm EST
  by John Young

• RTI Demystified: Bolster your program by expanding into middle schools and including more ELL students.

  Implementing a response to Intervention plan is challenging. It calls for a delicate mix of identifying possible student learning disabilities, correctly interpreting student achievement data, and creating an individual learning plan—and then monitoring it all to make sure it works. And this process must be repeated for each student. So [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 9:21pm EST
  by John Young

• Forest Grove v. T.A.: an analysis of the Special Ed FAPE case

  Q: What are the basic facts of the case? A: T.A. was a student in Forest Grove for many years. His teachers all recognized ADHD-like behaviors, but T.A. was not evaluated until his freshman year. At that point, T.A. received an evaluation from the District, and was found ineligible for special [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:59pm EST
  by John Young

• Administrator Smart Guide to ARRA Spending.

  The 21st-Century Classroom50 ways to use that new ARRA cash to enhance good teaching, deepen learning, and improve school performance Here’s the LIST! Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:16pm EST
  by John Young

• Amazing Hip Hop Founding Father Rap song!

  Check this out!!! Special H/T to Alexander Russo. Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: burr, hamilton, Obama, whitehouse [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 11:10pm EST
  by John Young

• Arbitrator Said to Doze During Teacher’s Hearing

  The process of firing a New York City teacher on charges of incompetence could certainly be described as time consuming. Hearings take so long — hundreds of hours — and so many details are scrutinized that it might be enough to put someone to sleep. According to the city’s [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 10:12pm EST
  by John Young

• Arne answers your questions

  I had a good chat with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan this morning at his office. He had other important duties, but I would not let him go until he addressed each and every one of the questions sent in by readers last night and this morning. (Sorry, I missed [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 10:09pm EST
  by John Young

• Race to the Top Executive Summary!

  Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: RTTP [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 7:42am EST
  by John Young

• Scoring system for school aid: Race to the Top

  Educators argue endlessly about the merits of one idea or another to improve schools. But with billions of dollars at stake, the Obama administration Thursday will lay out a novel federal system for keeping score. Making education funding a priority? Good for 10 points. Demonstrating significant progress in raising achievement [...]
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  Posted: November 12, 2009, 7:22am EST
  by John Young

• Autism helper dog allowed in class, judge rules

  By The Associated Press November 11, 2009, 3:55AM  A judge has ruled that a first-grader in central Illinois gets to keep his autism helper dog in school. Associated Press archiveKaleb Drew, 6, and his autism service dog, Chewey, wait to be taken out of the car after Kaleb’s first day [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 8:59am EST
  by John Young

• Happy Veterans Day.

  Thank you to all Veterans. Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 12:19am EST
  by John Young

• States Mold School Policies to Win Federal Money

  DENVER — Colorado’s lieutenant governor, Barbara O’Brien, has been parsing every public statement by Education Secretary Arne Duncan for nuances that could help her position the state as a winner in the $4 billion competition for federal school dollars known as Race to the Top. Lt. Gov. [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 12:10am EST
  by John Young

• Board Meeting 11/10/09.

  Number of comments: 1
  Public debate on Agenda Item: CLEAR review. At issue: weather or not to expend $350,000 of ARRA funds to hire consultants to define our capacities in a collaborative manner so as to focus our strategic plan and administration’s efforts at making Christina the best district possible. Spirited debate: yes. Vote: 5 YES, [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 11:48pm EST
  by John Young

• The Bracey Report On the Condition of Public Education, 2009

  Chicago’s Daley has run the schools for 13 years, with Duncan as CEO forthe last seven. Mayor Bloomberg and his Chancellor, Joel Klein, have had thereins of the New York schools for seven years, since 2002; recently, the NewYork legislature agreed to let Bloomberg run for a third term in [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 11:20pm EST
  by John Young

• The one reason Duncan’s ‘Race to the Top’ will fail…..

  “Experts” who see more rigor, more tests, more international comparisons, more “data-driven decision-making,” more math and science, more school closings, more Washington-initiated, top-down reform policy as the primary cure for education’s ills, are amateurs. And policymakers who can’t see the perversity of simultaneously spending billions on innovation and billions on [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 11:04pm EST
  by John Young

• ARRA Guidance and request for applications for SFSF funds.

  Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that application requirements for the final $11.5 billion in State Fiscal Stabilization Funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 are now available. In exchange for this unprecedented funding boost, the department is asking states to provide some basic information [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2009, 7:50am EST
  by John Young

• Wow. Great Catch.

  Best Catch Ever?! – Morgan State Player Makes Unreal Catch! Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 12:50am EST
  by John Young

• Total BS coming from Joel Klein in NYC….amazing stuff.

  Number of comments: 5
  The Education Department blew almost $375,000 on a New Age management consultant who brags about being a master hypnotherapist and earning a degree from an online university. William Howatt was hired to boost productivity and improve morale among the department’s middle managers – but the department wouldn’t say if he [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 7:29am EST
  by John Young

• Courage sometimes comes disguised as crazy…..

  Lousiana School Boards Say ‘No Thanks’ On Race to the Top The Louisiana School Boards Associations thinks it would be fiscally irresponsible for the state to go after a slice of the $4 billion in Race to the Top program grants, according to this Associated Press Story. The boards are worried that [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 10:40pm EST
  by John Young

• BACKGROUND ON THE PRESIDENT’S TRIP TO MADISON, WISCONSIN

  A NATIONAL RESPONSE   InJuly, the U.S. Department of Education issued a notice of proposed prioritiesunder the Race to the Top, and has received more than 3,700 comments fromapproximately 1,200 respondents on the various components of the program,including comments from 9 Governors, 20 State Education Officials, and over 200education associations and organizations.  [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 7:48am EST
  by John Young

• 27.

  Number of comments: 1
  Wow. Congratulations to the New York Yankees. I’m a Dodgers fan, so this is not my team, but they played harder and better than the boys from Philly. Well deserved. Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 12:34am EST
  by John Young

• NIH Awards More than 50 Grants to Boost Search for Causes, Improve Treatments for Autism

  NIH Awards More than 50 Grants to Boost Search for Causes, Improve Treatments for Autism Recovery Act Funds Support Strategic Goals for Autism Research The National Institutes of Health has awarded more than 50 autism research grants, totaling more than [...] [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 10:33am EST
  by John Young

• Groupthink.

  “Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. Individual creativity, uniqueness, and independent thinking are lost in the pursuit of group cohesiveness, as are the advantages of reasonable balance in choice and thought [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 10:26am EST
  by John Young

• Open Meetings.

  § 10004. Open meetings. (a) Every meeting of all public bodies shall be open to the public except those closed pursuant to subsections (b), (c), (d) and (h) of this section. (b) A public body may call for an executive session closed to the public pursuant to subsections (c) and [...][...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 8:08am EST
  by John Young

• 8 Reasons to not link student testing data to teacher evaluations…..

  This is tricky stuff indeed…. A Policy Brief on linking testing to teacher evaluations. As you know, one of the big-ticket items on the Obama agenda is a proposal to evaluate teachers by looking at changes in their students’ test scores. As I explain in my forthcoming book, this idea comes [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 7:36am EST
  by John Young

• We had an executive session tonight.

  This is what I learned: Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 1:05am EST
  by John Young

• Practice makes perfect they say….

  Here is a federal guide for School Turnarounds. Posted in Uncategorized [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 11:28pm EST
  by John Young

• Federal Officials Are Pushing Similar ‘Turnaround’ Policy

  Federal Officials Are Pushing Similar ‘Turnaround’ Policy By Dakarai I. Aarons Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org. Read more FREE content! Printer-Friendly Email Article Reprints Comments  (2) A majority of Chicago students affected by school closings were sent to schools that were low-performing, just like those they left behind—moves that had no significant impact on performance for most students, a study released [...]
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  Posted: November 02, 2009, 9:43pm EST
  by John Young

• School Visit Schedule.

  As a new Board Member, I have been touring our schools. Here is the schedule I have been following and will follow the rest of the school year. John Sterck 31-Aug-09 Brookside 8-Feb-10 Bayard 14-Sep-09 Downes 22-Feb-10 Pulaski 21-Sep-09 Gallaher 1-Mar-10 Douglass 5-Oct-09 Jones 8-Mar-10 REACH 19-Oct-09 Keene 22-Mar-10 Stubbs 26-Oct-09 Leasure 29-Mar-10 Sarah Pyle 2-Nov-09 Maclary 12-Apr-10 Bancroft 9-Nov-09 Marshall 19-Apr-10 Elbert/Palmer 16-Nov-09 McVey 26-Apr-10 Christiana 30-Nov-09 Porter Road 3-May-10 Glasgow 7-Dec-09 Smith 10-May-10 Newark 14-Dec-09 West Park 17-May-10 Gauger-Cobbs 21-Dec-09 Wilson 24-May-10 Brennen 4-Jan-10 Shue-Medill 25-Jan-10 Kirk 11-Jan-10 Brader 1-Feb-10 Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: visits [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 8:15pm EST
  by John Young

• Parents aren’t supporting alternative school | Delawareonline.com | The News Journal

  Thank you for your article regarding the Douglass Alternative School. To those parents who call it a reform school, wouldn’t you like your child to have a 4-1 student-to-teacher ratio? Do you like the mentoring there? A child learns right from wrong. Maybe those parents who stand up and speak [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 5:51pm EST
  by John Young